Smell: This one is truly a beauty to sniff. The smell is so full and rich, and is of bready and caramel-like malts. Low hops add only bitterness and balance it perfectly.

Taste and Mouthfeel: Suprisingly spicy at first and throughout, but still has a wonderful caramel malt backbone with nice bittering and finishing hops. Balance is superb. A mild, fruitiness is in the finish and taste nice. Very citric. Mouthfeel is slick and smooth.

Drinkability and Overall: What a fabulously rich and complex brew. I'm very glad I got to try this. The complexity is ridiculous for a beer that's 4.5%. Unreal. Kills any American Altbier I've ever had. Great stuff.

Great looking flip-top bottle with a long thin neck, bottle on 4/14/05. Poured into a pilsner glass, it's a dark copper color with a two fingers of foamy off-white head and very good retention. Smell is a thick biscuit malt with a detectable floral hops and a slight nuttiness as well. Taste is slightly sweet upfront, caramel and brown sugar notes, with a large bitter grassy hop finish. Medium bodied with a creamy middle and a dry finish. This is a very good session beer, with great taste and low alcohol. Only the cost keeps me from drinking these all the time.

Slightly used copper penny with a foamy head that falls to a ring. Some laving and sporadic bubbling. Served in a collins glass. Smell is burnt biscuits with a nutty essence just beneath the surface. Taste is a wonderful blend of malt sweetness, especially in the middle, and hop bitterness, like biorhythms meeting above the lifeline. The cylindrical glass is perfect for capturing the nose and then quafffing a swallow. Tasty. Mouthfeel is thin to medium with a body to match. This is a fun drinking beer. I probably wouldn't suggest more than 3 or 4 in a setting. I might use it as a balancing beer between a malty brew and one that is predominately hoppy.

Appearance  This one is clear with a solid brown color and a foaming head that showed incredible retention. It left some cool lacing on the inside of my Pils glass, which I sacrilegiously used just for the hell of it.

Smell  The malts here are heavier than what youd expect in an Altbier, but of course this is the double secret delicious drop. The sweets are muted at this point, but the hops are actually quite large.

Taste  Yes, this is a Düsseldorf classic. Its much bigger than a normal Altbier, although you could still probably session it. The alcohol is incognito. The malts are big and bitter, adding to the bitterness from the hops. This one also has a big brown sugary kick at the end, giving away the location of the brewery.

Mouthfeel  The Doppelsticke is on the big side of medium-bodied yet still very sessionable. The flavors and mouthfeel fall rightly in order.

Drinkability  This is a little bigger than I prefer my Altbiers, but it sure lives up to its billing. If you want to try an Altbier on steroids than this is it. You could probably even cellar this is you wanted.

Appearance: The beer poured a lightly hazy, deep amber color that was accented by red highlights. The off-white head rose up easily to three fingers. As it slowly settled, it became dense and lightly fluffy. It ramped high up the side of the glass, proving its stickiness. It left behind a very respectable amount of lace.

Smell: Heavy malt that was characteristic of both molasses and candy suger, even slightly nutty and cracker-like at times. Some cherry came through that did more than hint of cough syrup. There were definitely some hops present, though they took a backseat to the other aromas. The medicinal aspect of the cherry aroma became a little distracting after awhile.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and lightly mouth coating. Smooth upfront, with a velvety carbonation on the tongue. Gained more carbonation in the throat, but it didn't become rough.

Taste: Pretty straightforward, but nice. The malt hit huge upfront, but it wasn't nearly as sweet as I was expecting. There was a little bit of molasses at first, but this quickly transformed into a strong nuttiness that was a dry and husky. Then a nice, slightly herbal, hops bitterness arose to balance things out. A little bit of dark cherry hung out underneath the other flavors. Much drier and huskier than I was expecting. Nice.

Tastes lightly sweet up front and immediately puts forth a big dosage of sharp, grassy hops. Beneath are a quiet mix of caramel, raisins, mushy apples and a bit of oak. Well-bittered and holds on long into the finish, hop oils throuroughly soak the mouth.

Uerige is dark copper in color with a moderate head size. Rentention is pretty good. The aroma is weak and somewhat uninteresting. A light carmel smell underlies a slightly stronger herbal body. The main taste here is of herbal hops. Caramel malts are faintly tasted in the finish. Mouthfeel is fairly active due to the herbal elements. This is a pretty good beer, however this isn't exactly my cup of tea. I think I liked Uerige Sticke better.

Coppery color and crystal clear body with a nearly white, thin cap of foam. Aroma is herbal hops and a touch of caramel malt. Flavor is smooth and crisp with a clean finish. Malt sweetness lies just below the herbal hop and fruity tastes. Very nice. Mouthfeel is fairly light, but not at all watery. Interesting brew that begs you to drink more.

The beer pours a dark amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice malty scent that boasts of pale and light crystal malts. It has a refreshingly fruity yeast aroma that is quite pleasant. The taste is good. It has a light and bitter flavor that is loaded with hops and balanced with light crystal malts. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low/medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a fine altbier. It's light and bitter and highly drinkable.

Sampled from the bottle; filled 31-1-2005 bb 02-03-05. Uerige alsways have been my favorite alt. Just by pouring out you already know you must have a good beer in your hand. Nice and thick yellowbeige head and a beautifully clear and brownred color make the appearance just perfect for a altbeer. Nose is sweet caramel& roastmalt together with litle yeastspice and hoparome make it a great smell too!
Taste is very complex for a 4.5 %ABV brew; caramel& roastmalt, very dry, litle sour and very bitter witch goes well wit the amount of roast used. Just what you want in a altbeer so perfect again. Mouthfeel is great too, all your tastingpupils are just gonna be in tilt after a couple of sips except for the sweet ones who don't react at all. Dinkability is perfect again if you like burnt and bitter taste. One of my all time favorites.

This altbier poured a slightly hazy, copper color with creamy, off-white foam that was very persistent and clung to the glass. There was a good, steady carbonation from the bottom of the glass. The smell was nicely malty with a hint of cocoa and a touch of hops. The taste was hoppy up front with a strong malt backbone. There were some fruity, malty flavors and a slight bitterness and hoppiness in the finish. The mouthfeel was smooth with medium body and good carbonation. The aftertaste was both malty and hoppy, and it lingered pleasantly. This was a very nice altbier.

Dark brown with not much of a head to speak of. Aromas are a bit weaker than the sticke but still consists of nuts, spices, floral/herbal hops and more. The taste is hoppy up front and malty in the middle witha good balance of the spicy/nuttiniess. Mouthfeel seems a bit thin for me but drinkability is very good. Despite its short comings this is still damn nice. It will live in the shadows when compared to the sticke though, imo.

Not the greatest looking beer. I was careful with the pour and the beer has been in the fridge for 4 days. But the beer was still cloudy. The yeast in this one isn't too flocculant. I don't think Alt yeasts typically are. I think they might actually be closely related to wheat yeasts as weird as that might sound. Also kind of a weird color. Not vibrant at all. Kind of a dull brown. The head is also unimpressive. But the 'natural' carbonation is appealing.

The smell is quite nice. Very mellow, but the beautiful munich malt is there. Maybe just a hint of hops. Very subtle.

Pretty nonplussed by the flavor here. There are some very light munich notes, but the bitterness dominates. Not a distinct bitterness...just bitter. A little astringent even maybe.

Mouthfeel is thin. Its even thinner feeling when the beer is cold. I let mine warm in my hands for 10 minutes and my perception has changed greatly. But the abundant carbonation still makes it seem light than it may be.

I could drink a lot of these...that's one thing it has going for it.

In my experience, alts are best drunk fresh as possible...as in...from a gravity cask in front of the brewery in the Altstadt in Dusseldorf.

11.2oz. bottle poured into a slender altbier glass. It pours a brilliant deep copper color with three fingers of head. Sticky lacing is left all over the glass. The smell is rich and malty. Lots of sweet caramel aromas coming through. Just the slightest hint of hops as well. The taste is full of caramel maltiness at first, slightly toasty. The finish is very hoppy. I was really surprised at the amount of hops in this one, considering the sticke has more hops. Very nice. The mouthfeel is decent for the style. The drinkability is fantastic. I really need to get my ass to Düsseldorf to try this super fresh!

Found this at One Stop Liquors in Johnson City, Tennessee, and had it shipped by air to Moscow. Bottled on April 14 (presumably 2004), I opened it on 12/7/04. No effects of the shipment were noticeable. The very long thin neck on the brown bottle is distinction enough. This beer is proof that ignorance is not bliss: I've spent a bit of time in Düsseldorf, but never knew about this beer or the brewery. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Pours a slightly hazy pinkish copper (shouldn't an Alt be darker?) under a two finger off-white head that settles fairly quickly to chunky film, leaving a lot of good lace potential that remains, unfortunately, unfulfilled. The nose is mild, with sweet malt the overriding characteristic. The mouth is mildly carbonated and fairly light. The flavor follows suit at first, with lots of sweet, slightly caramel malt up front, backed by very little hops character at all. The bitterness builds steadily, though, rather like Ravel's Bolero. The hops are flowery in essence, with a twinge of carnation into the finish. The crescendo comes in the aftertaste, as a wave of good strong espresso flavor rolls across the tongue and down the throat some 10-15 seconds after the liquid is gone. Remarkable for its punch, this is a very nice and unusual beer.

The beer is overall copper colored with various shades and colors coming thru the glass. Hazy shades of orange and brown ... with a very thick head that leaves lots of lace on the glass. Plenty of carbonation bubbles up as you drink the beer.

The scent isn't too strong, but from the light malt aroma I can tell how dry this beer will be. As the beer warms, some caramel and floral hop aromas are evident.

Poured a dark amber red with very little head on it. The aroma has a bit of sour malt scent and is a bit hoppy. The flavor is sweet and the malt profuile is sharp. Very little carbonation in the beer. It may have been lost due to a poor seal on the bottle. This made the beer seem kind of thin and uneventful in the mouth.

This beer is meant to be drank very soon after bottling, like within a month. Since the bottle I had was made in April and it's now November, I think a lot of flavor was lost due to time.

Wow - I love the swingtop bottle. I hope this is tasty, though, because it was pretty darn expensive for 1/3 L of 4.5% ABV beer ...

The beer is quite pretty, with various shades and colors coming thru the glass. Copper, orange and brown ... with a very thick head that leaves lots of lace on the glass. Plenty of carbonation bubbles up as a drink the beer.

The scent isn't too strong, but from the light malt aroma I can how dry this beer will be. As the beer warms, some caramel and floral hop aromas are evident.

The initial taste is extremely dry, with very nutty, caramel flaorors. The dryness almost comes across as white bread crusts. After what seems like a bit of a delay, long, lingering, spicy hop flavors explode in my mouth.

Fantastic and extremely easy to drink. Makes me want to travel to Germany and drink more of this stuff nearer to its source.

Moderately hazy, I really like the color offered here, it is a coppery-amber hue with just a tickle of tawny influence. It looks even more beautiful when I hold it to a light. The head was off-white; the bubbles were tightly compacted and about two fingers in height. The head retention was impressive; it was a slow fader, as a tight cap lasted the entire consumption. Subsequent lacing was quite prevalent, thick, and well organized. Lovely.

Altbier is a style that has never impressed me. I realize the two Uerige Alts are considered the best. Still, I wonder how much better could they be? Well I got my hands on Classic and one sniff of the bouquet told me this was a whole different ballgame! Hops are present and accounted for, grassy, herbal, with a kiss of spice. Malt is luscious at times, caramel syrup, almonds, raisins, and a trace of dry crackers. Too bad the potency is only modest. Still the nose is inviting.

The palate was damn good and it even seems to show a little age. A beer this small has a long way to travel. I bet this beer would be killer fresh. Still, the palate has charm, hops upfront that offer a grassy, herbal quality, lightly spicy too. The middle is a good mix of fruit (like raisins and plums) and caramel malt sweetness with a dry, cracker underbelly. At the end a kiss of alcohol-like heat is noticed and then the beer sails to the finish. The finish is graceful, it is a soft mix of all of the above flavors, and nothing stands out above anything else. There is something about the finish that is magical. There is some intangible quality I cant put my finger on, let alone describe. I guess I can just call it complexity and leave it at that. The palate is damn tasty. Im impressed. I cant imagine what this beer would taste like on cask.

Medium in body with subtle carbonation that helps produce a silky-smooth mouthfeel. It is to die for.

This is quite drinkable; too bad it is not sold in a bigger bottle. Too bad it ran me $5.00 for the 11.2 ounces in Milwaukee, WI. Too bad Germany is so far away. Worthy of its reputation recommended.

Update as of 02/02/06: I got another bottle of Classic. Like my first bottle (review above) it shows a little age. I am not going to adjust any of the numbers or really write a new review. I will say I can reaffirm the already known; this is a damn tasty Alt. I want nothing more then a stunningly fresh bottle! I'll try again...

Very nice brown color with a very generous level of carbonation. Malty aroma with a hint of sweetness-almost a touch of cinnamon in the backround. Flavor is mostly malt-slight hop bitterness in the finish. A very slight metallic aftertaste but its not unpleasant. Good body. A drinkable beer-well worth trying after hearing about it for years. I would love to get to Germany for the real thing on tap.

Came in a very interseting bottle with the option to reseal. It's only 11 ounces so why would I? Anyway the color was red/copper and sealed on top with a one or two inch white bubbly head. A quiet fruit aroma - dark fruit, like passion fruit or a plum followed by a very small yeast aroma. The taste was above average. The hops and malt played well together. Very balanced portion of the plum, hops, and slight caramel. A well to do Alt, color, smell, taste and a clean velevety finish make this a heck of an above average brew. $4.50 a bottle harms this beers likeability though, I could spend $3.00 and get 6 Great Lakes or Rogue.